In this episode we define what social engineering is and how it is used to manipulate scam victims into giving money away to criminals. We talk about what happens in our brain and different concepts such as mirroring, leveraging cognitive biases and the human nature of kindness and helpfulness. We review stories shared by guests from previous episodes such as Erin West [https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinnordbywest/], Matt Friedman [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-friedman-9788555/], Chris...

In this episode I introduce the scam lifecycle - all the steps that a scam victim goes through from the first call or message all the way until monetary recovery is attempted by law enforcement. The reality is that is not the end of scam victims at all. There are long lasting emotional effects that must be addressed as well. I discuss education, regulation, parties who have touch points across the scam lifecycle taking responsibility, reporting and finally - technology.  Most importantly -...

In episode 9 of Scam Rangers, our guest Ian Mitchell, a 25-year fraud fighter, shares his journey in the fight against human crime, including scams, child exploitation, and elder abuse. He explains how Knoble and MissionOmega are working towards their mission of preventing fraud and empowering people. We also discuss how scams often intersect with other forms of criminal activity, such as sex and drug trafficking, and what fraud fighters can do to fight back. Finally,  we highlight how fraud...

In Episode 8 of Scam Rangers we address scams that abuse large brands to create trust with victims and manipulate them into taking action quickly. Some examples are address confirmation scams, account charge scams and account lockout scams, all designed to drive a quick response and give away personal or financial information to criminals. Abigail Bishop [https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailgbishop/] gives concrete advice to online merchants on what they can do to protect their customers,...

In Episode 7 of Scam Rangers we explore the manipulation tactics of romance scams, fake job scams and others. Chris Salgado [https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophersalgado/], a private investigator with over 20 years of experience in both cyber and physical investigations, handles a wide range of investigations. He explains the role of a private investigator piece in the puzzle of scam investigation. Chris shares his expertise on how private investigators can play a key role in uncovering and...

In this episode, Seth Ruden discussed the increasing pressure on financial institutions to protect customers from scams. He emphasized the importance of education and informing customers on what scams should look like, but also noted  that protecting customers is not just a moral responsibility but also makes good business sense by avoiding operational inefficiencies and potential regulatory complaints. He also discussed that payment networks are starting to change rules on liability, and...

In episode 5 of Scam Rangers, we continue the quest to understand the responsibility, liability and accountability governments and private sector have to protect us against online scams. Ken Palla unpacks the regulatory landscape in the banking and telco industries in a number of countries around the world, and gives us his thoughts about what should be done regardless of current regulatory requirements. This podcast is hosted by Ayelet Biger-Levin...

In episode 4 of the podcast "Scam Rangers," Julie Conroy, the Head of Risk Insights and Advisory at Aita-Novarica group and I talk about online scams and the perspectives of both financial institutions and consumers. We discuss the gap between what banks think they're doing to educate and protect customers from scams, and how it's being received by consumers. This podcast is hosted by Ayelet Biger-Levin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/], who spent the last 15 years building...

Who is the person behind a scam? Is it a criminal? Is it a victim? In this conversation with Matt Friedman, an Expert in Modern Slavery and the CEO of the MeKong Club, we will uncover the sad truth about the relationship between investment scams and human trafficking.  WARNING - There is some troubling content in the episode. Not recommended for young children. This podcast is hosted by Ayelet Biger-Levin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/], who spent the last 15 years...

In this episode we talk to Erin West who is a prosecutor at Santa Clara county, california. We will talk about a new class of relationship / investment scams called pig butchering, and how it relates to crypto and blockchain analytics tools. This podcast is hosted by Ayelet Biger-Levin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/], who spent the last 15 years building technology to help financial institutions authenticate their customers and identify fraud. She beleives that when it...

Most of financial scam victims do not report being scammed to officials or family members due to shame and the feel that they are to blame for falling for it. The estimates range between 7% to 20% that do report globally, but the realize is that we don't know.  In this conversation Kathy an I unpack the shame and advocate for a way to help victims feel less alone and report the scam.  For more information follow me on LinkedIn and DM me if you want to chat...

My name is Ayelet Biger-Levin and I have spent the last 15 years building technology to help financial institutions authenticate their customers and identify fraud. I have always been focused on protecting the banking transaction or activity, but when it comes to scams, the story starts well before the transaction. I've created this podcast to talk about the human side of scams, and to learn from people who have decided to dedicate their lives to speaking up on behalf of scam victims and who...